Tight cam bearings
Tight cam bearings Putting a 6.0 together and I ran across something I wanna share at least to see what you guys think I ordered parts from summit wanted to use Clevite bearings but they only had king in stock so I gave them a go when I installed cam bearings cam was tight and wouldn’t turn well it’s a 2.346 1/5 block I mic’ed journals and bearings pre installation tried two cams same result so I removed them and got a set of durabond bearings installed and no issue cams turn fine I have king main and rod bearings too got me a little gun shy on them now as I have never used. I figured it’s just the corona ( beer ) not virus ) getting too me
Last edited by Outlawthing; Apr 12, 2020 at 04:32 PM.
Putting a 6.0 together and I ran across something I wanna share at least to see what you guys think I ordered parts from summit wanted to use Clevite bearings but they only had king in stock so I gave them a go when I installed cam bearings cam was tight and wouldn’t turn well it’s a 2.346 1/5 block I mic’ed journals and bearings pre installation tried two cams same result so I removed them and got a set of durabond bearings installed and no issue cams turn fine I have king main and rod bearings too got me a little gun shy on them now as I have never used. I figured it’s just the corona ( beer ) not virus ) getting too me
Of course you could have got a set of bearings that were built wrong. I have also seen the bearings be out of order in the box, so it’s important to measure the bearings as you pull them out of the box to verify where they are supposed to go.
If indeed you got a set of bearings that were just too tight (ID) I don’t see how you could even get the camshaft in the block. Maybe just me, but through the years, almost every time I ran into an issue that pointed to a manufacturer or a vendor messing something up, it usually ended up being installer (me) error.
I did double check bearing numbers and spots for 1/5 2/4 and 3 now I can see it not being perfectly straight I am human I am building it in garage after all I have the summit cam bearing tool for ls engines only which is worth every penny IMO now i can’t say the same thing about the operator lol so if you have this problem and assume it to be a bearing that isn’t correctly positioned in journal would it be a deafening practice to remove and reinstall or better off using new bearing? If you remove and reinstall then retest cam and it spins freely is is safe to run the **** out of it !?
I did double check bearing numbers and spots for 1/5 2/4 and 3 now I can see it not being perfectly straight I am human I am building it in garage after all I have the summit cam bearing tool for ls engines only which is worth every penny IMO now i can’t say the same thing about the operator lol so if you have this problem and assume it to be a bearing that isn’t correctly positioned in journal would it be a deafening practice to remove and reinstall or better off using new bearing? If you remove and reinstall then retest cam and it spins freely is is safe to run the **** out of it !?
Staging Lane
Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 59
Likes: 17
Absolutely. It’s pretty common to have to mess with one or two of them after install to get them perfect. The trick is finding the one...or two maybe...that’s not square. Use a camshaft that you know is true. Not all of them are. Put a few drops of oil on your fingers and lube each bearing. Gently, slowly work the cam in. Stop at each bearing and turn it over....it should turn extremely easy. If you come to the next bearing and it’s tight, you know that’s the one. Sometimes if it’s the second or third bearing, from the front or rear, doesn’t matter, you can work the camshaft around in a circular motion...with a little force...to manipulate the bearing into place. I’ve done it countless times. But sometimes you have to break the tool back out and start over with them. Make sure backs of bearings are dry and journals of block are as well. No oil on install.
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 22,298
Likes: 3,619
From: Central Cal.
Staging Lane
Joined: Jan 2022
Posts: 59
Likes: 17
Trending Topics
Install them dry. Oil behind the bearings is a no-no, and often will end up with a spun bearing. Same with rods and mains. I saw your other post, and I’m not sure why the lip is rolling up. That’s not oil related.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo